


this is a moment that mattered.

by lolitalynne



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Anal Sex, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Rough Sex, Spit As Lube, Temporary Character Death, as always use proper lube, literally don't use spit as lube guys, love still makes ash uncomfortable, still haven't seen evil dead, still know there's ooc in here don't @ me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 10:15:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolitalynne/pseuds/lolitalynne
Summary: It was a dumb, heat of the moment thing to say, and Dwight is always so ruled by his emotions that he didn’t stop to think. Sequel tohow to kill with a word and cut to the quick.





	this is a moment that mattered.

Trials came and went in what seemed like the blink of an eye. One moment you were there, in the rotten cornfields, and the next minute you were either racing to the exit gates or hanging on a hook. Dwight was experiencing the latter.

When he’d landed in the familiar landscape he’d been with Meg. She had hushed him, ran a soothing hand over his back, and the two had taken off towards a generator. It was always difficult to discern who the killer would be this time, but Dwight knew they were with Ash and Feng this time around—a pretty good team, if he were being honest. Feng and Meg were fast and agile and they knew how to run a killer around like it was nothing. Dwight knew how to organize the team and get them working best, but that was only when they were all together. Ash was cocky and brave and he could take a lot before he couldn’t handle it anymore. He and Meg hadn’t seen anyone else when they started working and a generator was sputtering to life before they knew it. It seemed like centuries before they saw anyone else and, when they did, it was Ash.

Dwight breathes a sigh of relief when the other man pats him on the back. He smiles at him, a bit nervously, and the three set out for another gen. They creep around old, slatted walls, remnants of buildings that had been there at some point but had since been eaten by time. Meg turns as she walks to say something to them under her breath when mud is suddenly splashing under her feet. The phantasm trap jumps to life and Dwight chokes on his scream as Ash throws a hand over his mouth; they’re all very, very still. When The Hag materializes they break into a run in three different directions, heartbeat loud in their ears.  
  
She hunts Dwight down with a relentless determination as he stumbles through the corn in the hopes she’ll lose him. She’s got traps almost everywhere, erratic in their placement—she was learning how to better adapt and that was terrifying—and he triggers two or three on his run. Everyone knew to crouch and crawl when you were around generators or totems, but in the middle of the cornfield? She’s done this a few times before but, typically, she wasn’t right on his heels when he popped them. A generator flares to life in the distance and The Hag pauses briefly in her chase. Dwight thinks she’s going to teleport elsewhere but she continues chasing him, her rattled breathing creating a panic within him.

He vaults through a window, nearly tripping once he’s over the other side. He’s panting hard by the time he gets to the shack on the other side of the fields and it gives him a single breather as he waits on the other side of the window for her decision. She reels around the other side and Dwight carefully and quietly climbs through the window again. She was too smart for him and she meets him on the side he’d come from, claws ripping through him like paper. Momentarily dazed, he watches his own blood splatter to the dirty floor as he stumbles to the pallet and throws it down to give himself another quick respite. It’s harder to run when you’re injured but his adrenaline keeps some of the pain at bay and the desire to live is a great motivator.  
  
Unfortunately, he doesn’t make it very far before he’s felled, and he almost curls up on himself as he lays on the ground. How The Hag can hoist him to her shoulders, he doesn’t know, but her strength is as inhumane as she is. The basement is here, he can see the stairs coming into view and his struggles intensify. He knows he won’t make it from her shoulder, but he tries anyway. His breath hitches in the seconds before he’s lifted and slammed down onto the hook, anticipation making the pain so much worse. His scream rips through the corn and startles the crows around the dilapidated building; they take off cawing in a grating, sick symphony that shrieks in his ears. He’s crying and he knows it, body attempting to curve inward and lessen the pain, but he can’t. His hands scramble for purchase on the bloody hook in his shoulder, a full panic attack taking hold of him before he knows it. Breathing labored, he does the only thing he can do—he hangs there until help comes.

Two more generators are turned on by the time that happens and he can see The Entity’s legs materializing around him. He feels suddenly claustrophobic, worry flooding him; would they rescue him in time? He thinks this just as a set of footsteps creak the wood upstairs and his relief is palpable when Ash’s arms grab under his and lift him down. He pitches forward, feels a hand at his back, and there’s really no time to sit and revel in being saved. Getting out of the basement is the number one priority. Ash leads and he follows, out around the back and towards a set of trees and rocks.  
  
"Bite down," Ash says and Dwight’s teeth close around the gauze that’s being forced between his lips.  
  
He’s bleeding everywhere, the loss making him dizzy. He knows he’ll recover quickly once Ash fixes him up, but that seems to take forever. He can’t hear The Hag anywhere and that’s relieving. Ash is pouring something over his shoulder and it stings and burns but when it’s done soaking into his skin he’s feeling infinitely better. It still takes him a few moments and Ash is both hovering over him and looking around to make sure that they’re alright to waste a little time. Once his breathing has evened out, he mutters a quick 'I’m ok' and they head back out. They have one generator left and it’s almost done but it’s sitting in the middle of the cornfield and that’s a dangerous place to be. The light’s atop it are flickering and it’s been worked on already. The heartbeat is weak and he can hear someone vaulting over windows nearby; they don’t have the time to be careful. Dwight crouches through the dry dirt and immediately shoves his fingers into the wiring while Ash takes to trying to get the pistons free.

His hands are trembling and he slips with a wire, shocking himself and blowing the generator up in the process. Panic is written on his face and he stills, but Ash glances at him. "Keep going," he orders and Dwight’s sucking in a breath and forging onward. It’s so hard to do things under pressure but Meg’s scream makes it even harder. They’re so close and they can _see_ Meg fall to the ground only twenty feet away. Dwight wants to take a lesson from Ash and calm down; he’s not sure what has him so rattled. Maybe he still hasn’t recovered from The Doctor’s electrocution just yet. The Hag has spotted them and she leaves Meg down to beeline towards them. He’s shaking but it’s half a second; she takes a swing at Ash and he grimaces but—ballsy as ever—works through it for the time it takes her to suck his blood from her claws.

The last generator lights up and he sees adrenaline flare through Meg as she rushes to get to her feet and Ash looks like he’s mostly recovered in the same burst. He’s still too close to The Hag and she takes a swing that sends Ash straight to the ground. There’s a moment where Dwight pauses, too shocked to move, until self-preservation takes hold of him and he sprints away in the same direction as Meg. Feng is already working on a gate and she’s looking around her—she sees the two of them and her brows furrow in question. He works on patching Meg up when all of them turn in the direction of Ash’s scream and it tears through Dwight; he stabs Meg with the needle he’s using and she whimpers under him. He’s muttering apologies while he closes her bleeding wound in record time. She sprints off, no doubt to look for the lit up totem, while Feng gets the gate open almost completely. They can’t open it all the way, not until they have Ash with them. She remains behind while Dwight races off without saying a single word.

He almost forgets about her traps, so he takes the long way around—Ash has time to spare—and creeps around the corner of a wall slowly until he reaches the hanging man. When he gets Ash to the ground they creep off to the far end. There’s no time to heal him, no real reason with a one-shot down in effect, but he’s in pain and groaning and Dwight aches because of it. When Feng sees them rounding a tractor she pops the gate open and races inside to stand in wait. Meg’s back, seems like she didn’t find the totem, but the red veins in the ground have alerted her to the fact she needs to get out. Ash is slightly stumbling and Dwight reaches out for him when his heart starts beating against the cage of his ribs. Suddenly Dwight is making a stupid, stupid decision, bolstered with more confidence than he has any right to have.

"Don’t be angry," he mutters quickly, hands shaking as he leans into Ash, and the words are breathless and rushed. "I love you."  
  
He doesn’t realize what he’s said his brain is working a million miles a minute, only notes that Ash looks pale and taken aback, and he motions towards the door. Running around the other side of the wall, he leaps through the window and The Hag is immediately on him. Meg runs out to grab Ash and tug him with her, shielding him as she calls out to Dwight. He’s got a clear shot if he can stun her with this pallet. He doesn’t manage to drop it and feels like he doesn’t have to there’s so much distance between them—so arrogant that he can make it he doesn’t even bother. Claws swipe out, just barely missing him, and she seems angry. She recovers too quickly and reaches for him again and this time it feels so personal. He tries to spin out of her way but her entire hand grabs him, talons digging into his side as she stabs him and pulls him back towards her. The three in the exit don’t know what to do and, really, neither does he, as she slams him to the ground. She sucks her claws free of his blood and hovers over him for what seems like hours.  
  
The world is deadly silent as she pounces.

The breath is fully punched from his lungs when her teeth pierce his throat, her hand shoving his face into the dirt as she does it. He can feel the blood in his mouth and he chokes on it, hands scrambling to do…something, even he has no idea what. Being killed in this way was always worse than being hooked and Dwight had experienced death at every killer’s hand at least once. He was still mostly alive as she plunged into his torso and ripped out his liver, chewing it like a ravenous animal. His body is already growing cold, shock set in almost immediately; that’s a small consolation, at least, he doesn’t really have to suffer. Even still, he knows this is hard for his friends to watch but it was better him than them. He dies quickly after his insides are ripped open and he’s glad for that.  


————————————————————————————————————

When he opens his eyes again it’s at the edge of the campfire. His body aches something fierce and his guts feel like they’ve been pushed around and no longer sit properly inside him. He’s clutching his stomach when he treads back to the others; this time, no one says anything. There’s no telling when a killer was going to take their mark and his plan wasn’t even that stupid. He has the skills to dodge hits rather easily, despite how far The Hag can whip out, and it was just very unfortunate that she surprised them with that. Meg notices that Dwight looks pale so she calls him over and rubs his shoulder until he calms down. As much as he can calm down, at least.

It’s not even The Hag that’s got him rattled now, it’s the knowledge that he’s gone and done something so fucking _stupid_. There is no way this isn’t going to scare Ash off and he’s absolutely dreading that. He doesn’t want to have this conversation but he knows he needs to apologize; he won’t take it back, but that’s something Ash will need to live with. He’ll likely just ignore it as he does most things that bother him and Dwight knows plenty of things that bother him that he doesn't talk about. It was a dumb, heat of the moment thing to say, and Dwight is always so ruled by his emotions that he didn’t stop to think. There was too much going on and telling Ash he loved him was really the least of his concerns at that point.

He’s beating himself up over it now.

He chances a glance towards Ash, catches the other man’s eye, and this time it’s Ash that tilts his head and directs him to their usual escape into the rest of the forest. Dwight swallows past his mortification and stands up. He expects someone to make a comment after Ash leaves and he follows, but if they do, he doesn’t hear them. No one really cares who’s fucking who—they’re still people and there’s so much room for it all, whether it be relaxing and de-stressing or forging real relationships—but his paranoid anxiety always thinks they will. Dwight doesn’t really have answers for them, thinks he’d wind up closing in on himself if someone made a joke out of it. The idea of being judged for his preferences makes him nervous. And yes, **he** had been the one to choose Ash, and he still doesn’t really know why, but he doesn’t regret it. Ash isn’t entirely his type but he’s the sort of person that grows on you over time.

Sighing to himself, he remains a few paces behind Ash, wrings his fingers together and fiddles with the hem of his shirt. It’s so uncharacteristic for Ash to be quiet for even a single second and that is terrifying. His fingers go to his mouth and he chews on his nails, almost bumps into Ash when he stops short. Dwight feels sick and upset, panic starting to make his fingers prickle and go numb. The older man turns to him and his expression is strangely unreadable; Dwight flinches when Ash quickly snatches at the striped tie and drags him in close. That hand moves to grab his chin and tilt his head up to kiss him hard. It draws a squeak of surprise from Dwight, which Ash uses as the perfect opportunity to lick into his mouth. Ash tastes like cheap gas station beer and his knees feel weak—now wasn’t the time to talk about what a moron he was. Despite his stupidity, Ash still wanted him and Dwight isn’t going to ruin the moment.

This time it’s about a cathartic release for Ash. He’s seen Dwight die so many times; has seen The Legion stab him over and over and over again in their anger, and he’s seen Michael’s knife cut through him like butter, and he's seen The Doctor electrocute him. Maybe it was the combination of trauma plus Dwight’s confession that makes it worse this time, he doesn’t know. Before he knows it Ash is tugging his belt open, button and zipper following suit, so he can slide both hands down the back of Dwight’s pants. The younger man lets out a warm sound into his mouth. Neither of them say a single word as Ash pulls away to flip him around and pin him to a nearby tree. So, Dwight thinks, he wants it fast, huh?  
  
They have nothing to ease their way this time, so he grabs Ash’s hand and slides two fingers past his lips. Ash isn’t as gentle as he would normally be during the foreplay stages and Dwight doesn’t really blame him. It’s alright because he can take it and the pain of not being properly prepared is absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. He’s not so sure he’ll even notice it, not when his insides are still screaming from being torn apart.

There’s always a strange sort of desperation after trials that he’s found sex can fix but the way he goes about it and the way Ash does are two different things. Normally, Ash wouldn’t be so bothered; he’s seen a lot worse and he also knows they’ll all just come back anyway. He’s not as emotionally driven as Dwight, so he doesn’t mourn loss like he does. If they’re all going to reappear there wasn’t any point in sitting around getting upset over being unable to save someone. It had been Dwight’s turn last time and it’s Ash’s turn now so he’ll comfort him any way he can.

Ash slides his other hand under his shirt, fingers running down the center of his spine and they’re chilled, which makes Dwight moan quietly around the fingers in his mouth. Ash presses them against Dwight’s tongue and Dwight does all he can to coat them—it wasn’t going to be easy, but this wouldn’t kill him. His pants are down only as far as they need to be and he braces himself against the tree when the older man deems he's done enough work with his tongue. There’s a burn that accompanies Ash’s first finger, something stronger that comes with the second; all in all, it could be worse. He doesn’t even mind it, if he were being honest. Something about it reminds him how alive he is even if this place was limbo and they were already dead. He _felt_ alive and that’s what mattered.

He reaches back, seeking out Ash’s belt, and he’s stopped when his fingers slide along the other’s groin. Ash grabs him with his gauntlet and pins his arm behind his back, so Dwight concedes. With two fingers scissoring him open and his own arm locked where he can’t move it, the other pressing against the tree, he can do very little. Obviously that’s what Ash wants of him, so he dutifully remains just as silent as the man behind him, and takes what he’s given. Ash’s fingers slide free and Dwight can vaguely hear him opening his pants; he wants to turn and watch, but has a feeling the other man might not want him to. It’s so rare when this happens but normally it’s when Ash is high-strung and things have been hard for him. Dwight can’t really blame him, not when Dwight seeks out the comfort of sex for the same reason—it just meant more to him as time went on and he doesn’t know where Ash stands in all of it.

The older man doesn’t say a word, just spits in his hand and slicks himself as best he can, and Dwight braces himself, eyes staring at the ground beneath him. He grimaces and angles his hips back as Ash slowly forces himself inside—it does ache, he won’t lie and say it doesn’t, but he still has the phantom pain of being ripped into and eaten alive, so this is pretty much nothing. The Entity would heal this the same way as it healed everything, perhaps even as it was happening, so Dwight isn’t worried. Ash breathes out heavily once he’s seated inside and Dwight can feel the barely open pants brush against his skin. Thankfully, Ash doesn’t move for a second and allows Dwight the time to try and adjust around him.

If this were any other time, Dwight thinks Ash might go easy on him, but it’s more about necessity and something visceral. With one arm still pinning Dwight’s and the other on his hip, he slides out agonizingly slow, and fucks back into him sharp and hard. Dwight lets out a whine and spreads his legs wider to ground himself. Ash gets him at the angle he wants him, and oddly enough he’s still thoughtful enough to make sure he’s hitting just the right spot to make Dwight shake, and soon enough he's adjusting. Any discomfort he feels has been swept away by the way Ash thrusts into him—it’s not easy and it’s not gentle, but it has him gasping for breath regardless. The dull ache remains but pleasure is blossoming white-hot in his abdomen. Before he knows it he’s moaning almost helplessly, pushing back to meet Ash’s thrusts.

He’s almost thrown off when Ash drops his arm in favor of holding onto his hips with both hands. He crowds Dwight closer to the tree and the younger man is finally able to console Ash by wrapping around and grabbing the back of his neck; he brings him down for messy kiss that he’s gasping into. A low sound echoes between them from Ash’s own throat and his hands wander to Dwight’s waist instead, which is, admittedly, more like him. It’s intimate, somehow, in the way that his thumbs soothe idly as he pulls Dwight back into him. He knows that half of this issue is his own fault, realizes that he’s going to get some awkward, uncomfortable conversation about it—as much as Ash can talk about serious matters. Ergo, he doesn’t mind the first few moments where Ash is rough with him, chasing something he needs instead of making sure Dwight’s alright.

Before long Dwight is lost, the discomfort gone, and he wants to touch himself but doesn’t dare try. He attempts to mutter Ash’s name, to ask for that permission but he can’t find the words, so he drops his hand between his legs instead. He’s startled when it's pried away and replaced with the other man’s own, and Dwight’s shuddering around him. Not that Ash never jerks him off, that would be a lie, but he’s still not entirely used to feeling someone else touching him. That's usually something Dwight takes care of himself because Ash likes to watch him do it. But it feels so _**good**_ and he’s sure he moans that at some point because there’s a huff of laughter against his shoulder. It seems like Ash is finally calming down.

He strokes Dwight slowly, tries to mimic that thing Dwight does when he twists his wrist and he doesn’t quite have it but Dwight positively _sings_ for him anyway. He doesn’t bother to bite on his wrist like he wants to, knows that Ash always wants to hear him, and he grinds his hips into the hand at his front and the cock inside him. He can feel his knees beginning to buckle and that’s when Ash wraps his arm halfway around Dwight’s midsection, fingers splaying out on his stomach. He holds Dwight like he’s a precious thing, teeth grazing the back of his neck as Dwight drops his head. Biting his lip, the younger man lays his own hand against Ash’s, fingers just lightly dipping in between the other’s own. Ash retaliates by pushing a little harder with his palm close to Dwight’s hip.

Dwight comes to the conclusion that The Hag had rattled Ash as well. A combination of her ripping Dwight’s throat out and the confession Dwight made at an inappropriate time were both hard on him. He knows he can’t fix that now but, in this moment right here, he can try and assure Ash that he’s alright. He wants to do it verbally, wants to make him look at him—really _look_ —but that’s not a viable option right now (it’s just not the right time for it) so he settles for moaning for him. It’s truthfully not 'settling’ so much as it is just showing him that everything he’s doing is good and that Dwight is as wrecked by it as he always is.

Ash does not give him the okay to cum but before Dwight even realizes it he’s shaking. His sounds have pitched an octave higher, have turned sweet and desperate. Ash still doesn’t say anything, just muffles himself against Dwight’s shoulder. He must have realized how close Dwight was because suddenly his arm has shifted to tip Dwight’s head up and towards him. It leaves Dwight’s hand hovering so he wraps his fingers around Ash’s wrist, brown eyes focusing on him briefly. He’s almost too close to see properly, but there’s something so intense about the way his eyes meet Dwight’s then roam to his lips, and it makes his stomach clench.

"A-Ash, I’m—" is all he manages before the older man is swallowing the words straight from his mouth. It’s not graceful and it’s a little messy, especially as Dwight writhes in his grasp, but it’s just what he needs right now. What he imagines they both need right now. He cums then, eyes shut tight as he keens and tightens his grip around Ash’s wrist. Ash fucks him through it, only lets Dwight go when he feels like Dwight is spent, and by that time the leader can feel his thrusts growing erratic. He angles away from Dwight’s mouth and forces him to look forward again. He feels the other’s forehead drop to his shoulder.

There’s never been a time where Ash doesn’t ask where Dwight wants him to cum; Dwight’s not sure if he forgets this time or just doesn’t care. Some part of him wants to think he doesn’t ask this time because he wants to carve some mark into him and the only way he can do it is like this. Dwight doesn’t mind either way and if it helps Ash out, he’s more than willing to take it. He doesn’t know how long Ash continues on, only that he’s sensitive and sated, but he eventually slows to a careful grind. It rips a growl from his throat as he wraps his arm fully around Dwight’s waist and holds him in place. He settles so deep when he cums that Dwight swears he can feel it in his stomach even though he knows he can’t.

He feels weak and wrung out but he reaches back to curl his fingers into Ash’s hair, tilts his head so he can cradle the man as best he can like this. Ash doesn’t move, doesn’t pull out just yet, and he breathes warm onto Dwight’s shoulder. He’s finally feeling the after-effects of the trial, realizes how tired he actually is, and he lightly sways on his feet. Even still, he isn’t set on moving, not until Ash can manage it.  
  
"It’s alright," he whispers and he can feel Ash’s grip on him tightening the slightest amount. "I’ve got you."

————————————————————————————————————

Some time passes before Ash moves from him, apologizes a bit with a sheepish laugh, and helps Dwight rearrange himself. There’s something awkward between them now and they can both feel it. Dwight hates it. When they’re finally fixed up, barely looking at one another—mostly on Dwight’s part—he tries to open his mouth to start explaining. There’s a lot he wants to say and none of it really seems like it’ll be any good. Ash beats him to the draw.

  
"Hey kid," Ash starts and its slow and calculated; Dwight grimaces and braces himself. "About what you said back there. I, uh, I'm not really—"  
  
He doesn’t want this to continue, his cheeks are on fire, but he sucks in a breath and bolsters his courage, "Ash, it’s okay."  
  
There’s a moment of silence and Dwight revels in the fact that he’s rendered this arrogant man speechless, even if it's for a shit reason. He’s settled into the grass to collect himself a bit more and also because his legs almost gave way as he was pulling up his pants. He stretches them out and twists a little to peer up at the man standing over him. Ash isn’t looking at him and that makes this a little bit easier.

"I don’t know why I said it. I was just worried, I guess," he confesses, looking down at the grass as he plucks a few blades. "I’m always scared I’ll never get a chance to say the things I want, so I guess i just went for it. It was stupid, I shouldn’t have."  
  
Ash reaches out to lay a hand on Dwight’s head, absently brushing through his hair, "I’m just not sure I—"  
  
"You don’t have to say it back," Dwight cuts him off again. The hand in his hair doesn’t stop and it doesn’t feel like it’s being forced. He realizes that Ash is not a man that needs this sort of relationship but he also seems like the kind of man that could continue doing this knowing full well how Dwight feels. He could fully ignore those annoying feelings and that’s what Dwight wants right now. "We can just keep going as we are. Besides, if you dump me now who else would you fuck; Ace? Neither of you would shut up long enough to get anywhere." There’s a sharp little grin that he sends Ash’s way, despite the fact he absolutely _hates_ having to do this. He's always put his feelings second to those of everyone else but he's being selfish now. He doesn't want to lose this.  
  
"Who the fuck taught you to be so cocky?" Ash all but huffs, tugging his hair a little.  
  
Dwight laughs genuinely and finally shuffles to his feet. His legs are still a little weak, but he’s pleasantly sated and strong enough to try and walk. He gestures towards Ash broadly, "You did, dumbass."  
  
He gets a smack to the ass for that comment and he laughs again. He’s happy, despite the awkwardness, and Ash hasn’t turned from him yet. This is good enough for him and he doesn’t need to hear it; Ash may not be in love with him but he certainly appreciated him for more than just the sex. That’s really all Dwight could ask for.  
  
When they get back to the others, Dwight is immediately snagged by Meg, and Ash kicks at Ace’s leg when he starts to open his big mouth to ask about where they were and what they were doing despite already knowing.  
  
As long as things are normal, Dwight thinks he’ll be alright.

————————————————————————————————————

They’re at the fire months later (or what they perceive to be months) and Dwight is glad that all that stupid shit is behind them. Things continued on where they left off, the whole incident just barely a thought in his mind anymore. He still saves Ash’s ass and gets it back in turn, they still wander off together, and they still joke like usual. But there are subtle things that have changed—little by little, Ash has become fiercely protective, sticking to Dwight during trials together, his touches linger quite a bit too long, and he’s taken to sitting at Dwight’s side at the campfire, knees touching as they talk or listen to the others. These changes are nice and they’re more than enough for Dwight.  
  
Ace is doing card tricks for them now. Meg grows annoyed at being unable to find the Queen among the three slightly bent cards Ace is shuffling around. She thinks she’s got a handle on it when she makes a triumphant sound and slaps her hand down on one. Dwight has been watching closely, chancing glances at Ash next to him and he notices the same concentrated look. Ace flips the card with a devious grin and Meg almost screams in frustration. She sits back against the log, arms crossed with a pout while Ace shrugs broadly.

"Want to try your hand, boy scout?"  
  
Dwight snorts, "Never been a boy scout, but yeah, go ahead."  
  
He leans against the log and he tilts to the side, touches his shoulder to Ash’s lightly. The other man mimics the movement, leaning in slightly, and Dwight slides his pinky between Ash’s own; he’s not sure if Ace has noticed, the man is too busy paying attention to what he’s doing. Meg leans up against his leg, her cheek squished against his knee as she watches him shuffle the cards again. When Ace is done he flourishes towards the cards—Dwight’s kept his eye on them as he assumes Ash has done the same. A subtle movement from Ash, just three taps of his pinky that Dwight can feel under his own, and Dwight points out at the third card. He doesn’t see anything on Ace’s face, not immediately, but his hand hesitates.  
  
He can see the man's Adam's apple bob as he swallows, "You sure?"

The leader nods and Ace is letting out an undignified sound and some Spanish word he doesn’t understand. Ash straightens himself out as Ace turns it over and suddenly Meg is sitting up and sending him a wide-eyed look. Dwight shrugs casually, almost too cocky, and she’s grinning. Ace sighs and clucks his tongue in annoyance and finally addresses Ash.

" _Por Dios_ ," he huffs, and he sounds a little angry, which is something he’s not used to hearing in such a lackadaisical man. "Ash, tell your boyfriend to stop cheating!"

Dwight tenses immediately and expects Ash to correct him, but he just gets the other man’s boisterous laugh. He wraps a hand around the younger man’s shoulders and shakes him a little before grabbing his chin and squishing his cheeks in a way that makes hm look like a small dog, "You’re gonna accuse this face of cheating?"  
  
Ace sighs heavily and his shoulders droop, "In it together I see, _órale_ , you win."

The bet had been a med-kit with a styptic and it went to Dwight, who passed it off to Meg. Ace packs up his cards and goes to con someone else while Meg shows off her haul, bragging about it to a few of the others. Dwight breathes a sigh and brings his hands to his knees as he sits up straighter. Ash’s hand slides down to his lower back and rests there and Dwight is comfortable. The campfire is full again when the four on trial come back, happy and excited that they all survived and had a strangely good time, and Dwight watches them settle down with one another. He and Ash sit by themselves and the moment is calm and intimate.

He catches Ash watching him from the corner of his eye and he looks at him, arching his brows by way of question. Ash leans into him and tilts his head as he settles a chaste kiss behind the younger man’s ear; affection like this, where everyone can see, is so rare that he almost thinks he’s dreaming. Dwight’s heart flutters and he dips his head shyly. Those lips move to his ear and Ash is whispering something against him that makes his breath catch in his throat. He shoots a wide-eyed look of shock towards the man at his side. He realizes he probably looks stupid, mouth open and face flushed, but Ash just snickers.

"What?" he asks, and there’s a strange hint of _something_ behind it that sounds like worry. "Bad timing?"  
  
Dwight’s breath hitches and he licks his lips, "You didn’t have to say it."  
  
Ash looks away from him then and it’s not the first time he’s seen the man look slightly awkward, but it means so much right now that Dwight can’t stop watching him. He opens his mouth again, his voice low and sincere, "Yeah, I did."

Dwight knows now that he has to lighten the mood. He runs through all the things he can say and, in the end, he settles for being a smartass. He’s incredibly happy and he’s sure Ash can tell, but this was surely hard for the other man to do. As much as Dwight knows he needs to acknowledge his appreciation, he also knows he needs to ease Ash’s tension. He drops a hand to Ash’s leg, lightly rubbing his knee as he puts on a haughty, smug look.  
  
"No, really, you didn’t have to say it," he starts before he’s smirking, all impish and cat-like. "I already knew."

" _Por Dios_ ," Ash mocks, but it sounds so reverent and soft that Dwight almost forgets to breathe. Ash is visibly taken aback and it’s such a stunning look on him; Dwight bites his lip as he grins and the older man shakes his head incredulously. He doesn’t say anything else yet, just hooks his finger under Dwight’s chin to lift his face so he can kiss him lightly. He laughs against the other’s lips before Ash even says anything because he can just see the words lighting up before his eyes.  
  
"You’re a little shit."

**Author's Note:**

> the sequel to my other dwight/ash fic that no one asked for. i'm monopolizing this ship, apparently. come talk to me about my lord and savior, dwight fairfield. AND! if you play dbd on xbox add me (ACTUAL DWIGHT) and we can suck together 😘


End file.
